To better understand China’s relationship with the world media, 14 students enrolled in the course, “Honors Topic: Covering Modern China,” left Richmond Wednesday to complete issue-oriented, media projects in Shanghai.
Associate professors Debora Wenger and June Nicholson are supervising the students’ stay, which will last two weeks.
“We are covering stories about business and the economy, health care, education, culture and the arts,” Nicholson stated in an e-mail. “It is important for students . to understand more about this giant on the world stage.”
While many of the students are mass communications majors, Nicholson said students of different majors are represented. The course is offered through the university’s association with Fudan University in Shanghai.
“This is the first time this course . has been offered,” Nicholson stated. “We hope to offer the course each year.”
Junior Ginnie Seger, a mass communications major, is one of the students traveling to China.
“I wanted to do a story on AIDS in China,” Seger said. “It’s just recently becoming a major issue there.”
Seger said her group, which chose to focus on health issues, is required to complete a project in broadcast format including a two-part media package, Web extras and a 14-16 page paper due at the end of the semester. Groups are allowed to choose either a broadcast or print format for their projects.
Junior Jason Ray, a mass communications major, is another student in the course. Ray said students have the rest of the semester to complete their media packages in postproduction, but they only have two weeks in China to acquire footage, quotes and needed material.
“We should be pretty busy while we’re there,” Ray said. “All the media is government-owned, so journalists there are restricted on what they can cover.”
Though students are encouraged to remain focused, Ray said he is excited about Shanghai’s colorful nightlife.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the free time,” Ray said. “It’s pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”